Persons living in warmer climates frequently purchase sleeve insulated beverage retainers in which to place their cold canned or bottled beverages. However, frequently the consumer finds that they are in a place, such as an automobile, boat or in the work place, where the sleeve insulation wrapped beverage container cannot be safely placed down, without the danger of tip-over. Thus, a beverage holder or retainer designed to more easily retain and stabilize the beverage on uneven surfaces is desirable. However, the beverage retainer should also be inexpensive, aesthetically pleasing, and convenient to handle and store.
Prior art patents have addressed the stability problem in a number of ways. U.S. Pat. No. 4,510,665 (Schuerer 1985) discloses a beverage insulating container that has a base having a larger diameter than the container sleeve. The sleeve and the base are made of unicellular foam.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,239 (Manns et al. 1987) discloses an insulated foam container which contains a cylindrical recess in the base.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,028,702 (St. Cyr 1962) discloses a cup holder formed from a cylindrical container which is sheathed in a bead-filled, deformable fabric skin. This allows the container to be placed on an irregular surface and maintain a generally upright posture.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,462,444 (Larson 1984) discloses an insulated container for holding a beverage. The container has stitching on the jacket cover. Thus, the cover provides certain advantages, among other things, allowing moisture to drain off the can.
Design Patent No. 309,073 (Robinson 1990) discloses a design for an insulated sheath to hold a container that has a base broader than the vertical container retaining sleeve. The sleeve tapers into the base.
None of the prior art discloses a broad, flexible base with an insertable sleeve similar to the present invention. Applicant's invention allows for an improved cylindrical sheath enclosed beverage container device which will permit for stability on uneven surfaces, yet which retains the lightweight and ease of handling and storage found on a baseless insulation sheath.